Miami | 08.28.09
It is said that the saxophone is the closest instrument to the human voice. But it takes a true master to make it sing, particularly in jazz.
Lester young was one such player, a virtuoso musician who created art with the instrument in ways none had before him. The storied tenor player made such a name for himself in Count Basie’s band and later with singer Billie Holiday that she nicknamed him "The Prez."
Though many jazz saxophonists could improvise in ways that built on the notes of a tune’s chords, Young was unique. He had an incredible ability to play behind or in front of the beat, bending a tune into his own personal groove, as jazz critic Kevin Whitehead notes in an NPR audio essay. It's a style that would influence other stellar musicians, including Charlie Parker.
Check out this NPR story, produced to mark the centennial of Young’s birth. |♫|
2 comments:
So where does "Prez" rank among jazz saxophonists? I love Lester Young but I am a Trane devotee.
Bird, Sonny Rollins, especially "The Bridge" album are big in my bookj.
Also like Woody Shaw. Check out Rosewood.
The Prez would definitely be in my top 10, along with Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderly, Wayne Shorter, Johnny Griffith and a couple of others.
But I don't think you can necessarily compare great jazz performers of different eras, as each musician built on the contributions of those who came before.
Without The Pres, there might not have been a John Coltrane as we know him.
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